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The Dendrelyssi once ruledthe Crimson Lands through sorcerous power and the sheer might of their demon-enhancedfighting ships and dragon-riding warriors. However, their empire is no more and,as a force, they have been in slow decline for nearly five centuries.

The empire of The CrimsonLands was held together by Dendrelyssi sea power and for thousands of years itgrew rich on tributes collected from many nations. However, whilst theDendrelyssi bathed in their past glories, newer nations were rising far to thewest.

These new nations gnawedat the edges of the Dendrelyssi Empire; slowly toppling their far-flung outpostsand increasing their foothold into Dendrelyssi holdings. All the while, theDendrelyssi coffers were no longer being replenished at the rate they were usedto. Because the ingress was gradual and because the Dendrelyssi arrogantlyassumed they were invincible, they were unaware of the danger until it was toolate.

The Dendrelyssi foughtback; fighting often and rarely losing but all the while being pushed back asthey no longer had the numbers to retain their lands. Soon the invasion gained momentumand one-by-one, Dendrelyssi cities fell to the invaders as they swept acrossThe Crimson Lands destroying everything in their path. Before long they were onthe doorstep of the Isle of Dendrelyss itself.

The Dendrelyssi nobilitywas forced into action. They hastily mustered their aging fleet – just under two-hundredships - which set sail from Necrolorn and met the invading fleet of over a thousandships in the middle of the Crimson Sea. Therea mighty sea-battle was waged and, although yet again the Dendrelyssi were victoriousutterly destroying every last one of the enemy ships, only forty-four Dendrelyssiwarships managed to limp home to lick their wounds. The Dendrelyssi were no longera threat to The Crimson Lands.

WITCHISLEWitch Isle is amatriarchal barbarian society, ruled over by the Coven, a council of 13witches, enchantresses and sorceresses. They are said to be the directdescendents of the original inhabitants of The Primal City and therefore eitherdemon-blooded or Dendrelyssi-blooded, depending on which theory is true. EachCoven member is the head of her own tribe, which has its own defined tribalboundaries on the island. The Coven meets from time to time to agree tribaltreaties, judge violations of the law, deal with threats from outsiders and toenact rituals. The Coven jealously guards the Primal City from outsidertreasure hunters.

The Primal City (ruins)This antediluvian monumentis possibly the most ancient structure in The Crimson Lands and believed tohave been built by the ancestors of the Dendrelyssi (who are widely believed tohave been demons). The area taken up bythis ruin is larger than any three of the current capital cities of the CrimsonLands combined. Most of the ruin is now just overgrown walls, fallen masonryand rubble but there are a few almost intact structures.

MORTYLLAThe Mortyllans are notbelieved to be pure humans; perhaps mingling too freely with the race thatpreceded the Dendrelyssi some time back in the primordial past. As worshippersof Chaos, the people of Mortylla claim to be heirs to the sorceries of theDendrelyssi but they don’t have the proper mentality of the Dendrelyssi and areruled by Chaos rather than taming it as the Dendrelyssi did. Mortylla is a nationof sadistic, warped people; many of them are quite possibly insane. The rest ofhumanity fears them as warmongers and bloodthirsty priests. Mortylla is adominant power among the Crimson Lands, more because of her black sorceriesthan for her military might. For its great size, Mortylla is thinly settled –small villages and farmsteads dot the landscape but few settlements are biggerthan a few hundred people. The bulk of the population lives in the huge capitalof Trillithon.

A large part of Mortyllais taken with a dry and bleak wasteland known as the Charnel Plain in themiddle of which is an ancient necromancer’s tower, known as the Eldritch Tower.It is believed that countless centuries ago the necromancer attempted apowerful conjuration to summon an army of undead. The spell went wrong and insteadhe destroyed everything for hundreds of miles around his tower. The dust thatblows across the plains is said to be the ashen remains of all the life thenecromancer killed on that evil day.

TrillithonThe centre of Trilliton ismade up wholly of great ziggurats, pyramids and temples. Their altars are blackwith the dried blood of the daily slaughter to appease the dark gods theyworship and the streets ring out with the sermons of the priesthood and thescreams of the sacrificies.

KRANDKrand suffered heavilyunder Dendrelyssi domination. Even now, the scars of their suffering run deepand Krandians are still unused to open displays of magic, viewing sorcery asunnatural and probably evil. There are numerous sites across Krand that testifyto Dendrelyssi rule. Many were destroyed and wiped off the face of the land;others were left to moulder and have been completely untouched since theDendrelyssi left. Krand is now a rich country, with a diversity of naturalresources, from the mountains that are rich in minerals, the lumber from theforests and the fertile soil for growing a variety of crops.

CthiliumAlthough the Krandiansdestroyed or left deserted nearly every other Dendrelyssi habitation, theycouldn’t bring themselves to leave Cthilium. It is a wonderful city, with broadstreets, magnificent plazas and grand architecture. The port attracts trade butmore importantly, there is a well-prepared fleet here at all times, inreadiness to strike if ever the Dendrelyssi threaten Krand again.

KrornThe capital of Krand and probablythe busiest trade centre in the Crimson Lands. The merchants of Krorn are notedfor their honesty; the merchant’s rapid rise in wealth and power is seen as athreat to some of the established nobility of Krand.

While I've only skimmed through the old PDF briefly, I do like the D6-only mechanic and the general Elric-ness. Good job.

One question, though: why is the Summonings section at the front, before Equipment, while the spells are near the back? Since only two classes use both, shouldn't they be together?

"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
- Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)

I think I'll drop the Mass Combat and Sea Battles from the core rules because I'm getting too hung up on them. I'll save them for a later supplement together with stronghold rules for PCs getting to 10th level - called Crimson Lords.